Flash Back Film Review

I have to apologize for my absence. I am in crunch time right now, trying to crank out three big papers for the end of my semester. I realize that the blog is taking an unjust sacrifice because of this, and although I don't really have time to write any new material (other than that which I am turning in to my professors) I thought I would post some old reviews I have backlogged on my hard drive. So here it is: installment numero uno of my Flash Back Film Review series. Enjoy. 

Lars and the Real Girl (2007)

Lars finally has a girlfriend, a plastic love doll named Bianca. Outrageous? Yes. It is the kind of premise that just should not work. Yet, somehow it does. Beautifully crafted by fledgling director Craig Gillespie, Lars and the Real Girl is a subtle yet heartfelt film that teeters between sadness and adoration. Ryan Gosling delivers a delicate performance as Lars Lindstrom. Proving once again that he is more than just a pretty face, Gosling draws us into what could have been a disaster. Playing opposite a lifeless doll is no easy task, but with support from a magnificent ensemble, Gosling delicately pulls it off. As viewers, we fall in love with the sweet-natured Lars, accepting his odd relationship with Bianca. The film has its awkwardness, but Gosling keeps us mesmerized with his quirky mannerisms and soft-spoken way. We come to find this less a film about a man in love with a doll, and more a film about a man grappling with his past. Bianca is simply a means to an end, a way for Lars to cope with his loneliness and confront his past. Emily Mortime is equally adorable as Lars' sister-in-law Karin, making the shared screen times between the two the film's best moments. Lars and the Real Girl is strung together by David Torn's soothing original score, which simultaneously captures and creates the film's mood. Subtle, sweet, sad, and captivating. These are the words that appropriately describe the latest addition to a new breed of independently produced love story in the vein of Garden State and Me and You and Everyone We Know.

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Lars and Bianca